Survived a near-death experience with my Aero jacket by my side...

[Navin323i]

Good morning, Gents.

I've been away from the site for the past week now and hopefully my story here will explain not only why, but provide you all with an interesting story.

As most of you probably know, one of my passions is customizing cars and for the first time this year I competed at a car show this past weekend in West Virginia at the Summit Point Motorsports Park. On the evening of Friday June 18th I traveled with a group of cars belonging to a car club all heading to the car show in West Virginia.

All was well until about 10 miles from the West Virginia border near Harpers Ferry when all of a sudden... "KABOOM"!!!! I look out my rear window and I see all this dusty air flying out from under my car. My rear passenger side tire exploded and literally at that moment my whole life flashed in front of my eyes. Fortunately one of the guys I was traveling with was behind my car so both he and I turned on our emergency car flashing lights so that all the other random drivers on this busy highway would realize I was in danger. Steering wheel was shaking violently but I managed to pull over to the side of the road. It was around 9pm at this point on a dark road surrounded by farm land with no street lights.

First thing I did after pulling over to the side of the road was to wear my Aero NYPD jacket. It's hard to explain but wearing that jacket gave me comfort and helped to keep me calm... probably because of the fact that I made the jacket to honor the memory of my grandfather so when I wore it at that moment it was like my grandfather was by my side protecting me.

The other guys I was traveling with all came to my rescue and helped me to change my tire (I keep a full size 18" wheel/tire spare in the trunk).

The reason why the tire exploded was of a screw that got lodged in the tire. Air pressure in the tire must have decreased enough while driving that I either hit something on the highway that was sharp enough to puncture the tire to cause it to explode or my wheel itself cut the tire due to the low air pressure... in any case I made it safely to the car show and I wound up taking 2 trophies (both of which are made of the same material that my mechanical heart components are made of... carbon fiber)... one trophy for "Finest BMW", and the other trophy for "Finest Use of Carbon Fiber". Despite the fact that it was 95 degrees on the day of the show and this was an outdoor show, I wore my FQHH Aero NYPD jacket during the awards ceremony for good luck (I actually didn't feel hot wearing it)... it definitely paid off both at the awards ceremony and on the highway after surviving my ordeal.

I'm so grateful to still be alive... note this all happened a couple of days before Father's Day so that's even more reason why I'm happy that I was able to celebrate it in good health with my wife and baby girls.

A few pictures are below detailing this past weekend...

I won 2 of these trophies, which were designed by a company called Asuka who are known for their carbon fiber car parts like hoods, trunks, etc...

You can see the racetrack and bleachers... the park is huge and has multiple race tracks throughout the park.

Yes I actually do tan in the sun.

 

[Navin323i]

Pics of the tire damage

The tear in the tire is on the inside of the tire that faces the brakes/suspension

Fortunately the wheel itself escaped undamaged.

You can see the lodged screw

Inside of the tire...

Despite the mismatched wheel/tire in the passenger side rear, the judges were kind to me and awarded me the 2 trophies.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Navin, I'm glad you're okay but I still think you're nuts for wearing an Aero leather jacket in this weather. It's going to be 95+ F here in Philly today and I suspect weather in your neck of the woods is not much cooler. lol

Great looking car, and glad things worked out for you.

 

[Navin323i]

Navin, I'm glad you're okay but I still think you're nuts for wearing an Aero leather jacket in this weather. It's going to be 95+ F here in Philly today and I suspect weather in your neck of the woods is not much cooler. lol

Great looking car, and glad things worked out for you.

Haha!!! Thanks, bro. Yeah, my wife said the same exact thing (how nuts I am) when I told her I wore the jacket that day in 95 degree weather, but only during the awards ceremony.

I definitely haven't worn the jacket this week though... with the awful humidity in my area it feels like the temp is over 100.

p.s. I read your post in that other thread about how you had to pay sales tax for your Vanson police jacket, despite the fact that you live in PA which has no sales tax on clothing. I would have never guessed that they'd charge sales tax due to the police jacket being considered as safety equipment.

 

[andy richards]

slightly off-topic...

Hi Navin,
I am glad to hear that you are ok. I have been working a lot on motorways and lots of accidents happen to stranded motorist. Keep in mind though that beside good protective clothing a reflective shirt or jacket also helps to warn other motorist. In most European countries you must wear this kind of jacket when you are stranded on a motorway and every car should have at least one of them. Also, and keep in mind: A stranded vehicle on a motorway always attact the attention of other motorist. A (bad) but explainable effect is that when looking to that stranded vehicle, the arms of the motorist will "follow" the eyes, i.e. steer to the right, and thus may collide in to the stranded vehicle. So, always get all the occupants out of the vehicle (no matter what weather it is - wear an Aero jacket ) and get them on a safe distance. If you intent to change a tyre for example, let someone, if possible, watch the upcoming traffic for you. If you feel unsafe, stay at distance and call for help.
Anyway, I am glad you are safe Navin and really pleased to hear to win two trophies with your amazing good looking car!
Andy

 

[Navin323i]

Hi Navin,
I am glad to hear that you are ok. I have been working a lot on motorways and lots of accidents happen to stranded motorist. Keep in mind though that beside good protective clothing a reflective shirt or jacket also helps to warn other motorist. In most European countries you must wear this kind of jacket when you are stranded on a motorway and every car should have at least one of them. Also, and keep in mind: A stranded vehicle on a motorway always attact the attention of other motorist. A (bad) but explainable effect is that when looking to that stranded vehicle, the arms of the motorist will "follow" the eyes, i.e. steer to the right, and thus may collide in to the stranded vehicle. So, always get all the occupants out of the vehicle (no matter what weather it is - wear an Aero jacket ) and get them on a safe distance. If you intent to change a tyre for example, let someone, if possible, watch the upcoming traffic for you. If you feel unsafe, stay at distance and call for help.
Anyway, I am glad you are safe Navin and really pleased to hear to win two trophies with your amazing good looking car!
Andy

Thanks Andy!! Those are EXCELLENT points you made. Fortunately, my teammate who was behind me when my tire exploded parked behind me when I pulled over to the shoulder of the road. He parked a little further back and had his emergency flashers on too... basically his car was serving the purpose of a "signal flare" so that other drivers would see we're stopped on the shoulder of the road, while his headlights were providing enough light for us to change the tire.

 

[andy richards]

Thanks Navin, that is always a good thing to do to park another car with flashing lights at a safe distance behind yours. Always let that driver out too. (I am sure you did) And, if parked on the right shoulder on a motorway, steer the front wheels to the right. So, if another motorist struck into the back of yours, your car will be "launched" in a relatively safe area and won't become a misguided projectile to the other traffic...
Andy

 

[too much coffee]

Hey Navin;

Geez man, what an experience! As they say, "Alls well that ends well."
Glad to hear you're O.K.
Congrats on the trophies. BTW, I'll bet the leather smell on your jacket was really strong in that heat. Yesterday it was 109 degrees here in Tucson and just for kicks I wore my Aero heavy steerhide Highwayman outside for about 20 minutes. Wow, the leather smell in that heat was stout.
Cheers......coffee

 

[John in Covina]

Very happy to hear no one got hurt and you came away with those trophies! A blowout at speed is always an interesting experiece, usually it's no sudden reactions or quick moves but the slow and deliberate braking and control that saves the day.

Your donning the jacket made me think of a line from Scripture:
"Put on the whole armor of the Lord."

Best regards from California,

 

[OneEyeMan]

Woah Dude
Glad you're OK.
You must've been really scared to have your life flash before your eyes.
And congrats on your trophys:eusa_clap
Lenny

 

[Navin323i]

Thanks Navin, that is always a good thing to do to park another car with flashing lights at a safe distance behind yours. Always let that driver out too. (I am sure you did) And, if parked on the right shoulder on a motorway, steer the front wheels to the right. So, if another motorist struck into the back of yours, your car will be "launched" in a relatively safe area and won't become a misguided projectile to the other traffic...
Andy

Thanks Andy! That's a great idea you mentioned about steering the front wheels to the right... that is something I didn't do.

Have you ever considered writing a book containing all your knowledge of what to do in terms of highway safety? Let me know if you do decide to write a book... I'll be the first to buy one.

 

[Navin323i]

Hey Navin;

Geez man, what an experience! As they say, "Alls well that ends well."
Glad to hear you're O.K.
Congrats on the trophies. BTW, I'll bet the leather smell on your jacket was really strong in that heat. Yesterday it was 109 degrees here in Tucson and just for kicks I wore my Aero heavy steerhide Highwayman outside for about 20 minutes. Wow, the leather smell in that heat was stout.
Cheers......coffee

Thanks Coffee! Man... you're so right... I forgot to mention how the 95 degree heat intensified the horsehide smell in the jacket.

I also think wearing my horsehide jacket in the high heat has helped to accelerate the breaking in of the jacket.

I would seriously love to come visit Tucson someday... see my birthplace of San Manuel which I hear is close by to Tucson and see my dad's old school (Univ of Arizona)... someday, hopefully soon.

 

[andy richards]

Thanks Navin. Good idea about writing a book... I might do that when I retire and give you one for free!
Andy

 

[Navin323i]

Very happy to hear no one got hurt and you came away with those trophies! A blowout at speed is always an interesting experiece, usually it's no sudden reactions or quick moves but the slow and deliberate braking and control that saves the day.

Your donning the jacket made me think of a line from Scripture:
"Put on the whole armor of the Lord."

Best regards from California,

Thank you so much, John! Special thanks for the wonderful scripture quote you provided. I definitely felt the presence of my grandfather when I wore that jacket as well as at the moment my tire exploded.

 

[Navin323i]

Woah Dude
Glad you're OK.
You must've been really scared to have your life flash before your eyes.
And congrats on your trophys:eusa_clap
Lenny

Thanks Lenny! Yeah, it was pretty scary... with Father's Day only a couple of days away I was scared that I wouldn't see my family, plus it would be the first Father's Day for my infant daughter.

However I see this now as a blessing. Can you imagine if this had happened at some point later when I was all alone or if I had either my older daughter, infant daughter, or both daughters in my car? Because of my heart condition I can't change a tire on my own and would need help. Basically the situation could have been a lot worse and scarier so I'm just relieved that things turned out ok.

 

[Navin323i]

Thanks Navin. Good idea about writing a book... I might do that when I retire and give you one for free!
Andy

I will GLADLY accept your book... however you must sign the book before you send it to me.

 

[Navin323i]

Here is a thought I'll leave you all... because of you all I have learned how the patina in our leather jackets help build character of the jacket but also tell the "story" of the jacket... each scratch, wear mark, etc. all happened due to normal wear and tear.

Another way our jackets tell our "story" is by wearing the jackets at times that wind up being special or even traumatic.

In case I'm not making any sense, think of it this way... you hear a song on the radio... hearing that song reminds you of a special time in your life... maybe the song reminds you of a time when you were in school or a time you were with a loved one and this particular song was playing on the radio or TV... there is an ASSOCIATION between song and memory, such that hearing that song instantly triggers a memory you haven't thought about for a while. Likewise, by wearing my jacket a lot I'm making associations between jacket and memory. In the future when I wear my jacket, I'll always think back to my near death experience and how I felt my grandfather's presence protecting me... it will also remind me of the great time I had at this car show.

Thank you for listening to Navin's "Deep Thought of the Day"

 

[GriffDeLaGriff]

Congratulations with the wins and trophies.
Im very happy for you and your family that the tire explosion didnt cause
any injuries. I have been in that situation myself and its a frightening experience.

It makes one think how easy something can happen.

I missed you and wondered where you were.

But, does it really make a big difference with air or not in those tires lol

 

[Ace Rimmer]

p.s. I read your post in that other thread about how you had to pay sales tax for your Vanson police jacket, despite the fact that you live in PA which has no sales tax on clothing. I would have never guessed that they'd charge sales tax due to the police jacket being considered as safety equipment.

Yeah the store said that certain gear is not considered "clothing" and therefore not exempt from sales tax. The lady mentioned that women's high-heel shoes are also subject to sales tax (which makes no sense to me at all). [huh] Crazy tax laws, I guess.

 

[Navin323i]

Congratulations with the wins and trophies.
Im very happy for you and your family that the tire explosion didnt cause
any injuries. I have been in that situation myself and its a frightening experience.

It makes one think how easy something can happen.

I missed you and wondered where you were.

But, does it really make a big difference with air or not in those tires lol

Thanks buddy! I missed you and the other FL guys here too... one big leather-clad family we all are.

Sorry to hear you've been in my situation before. Haha... yes it makes a HUGE difference with lack of air in my tires or any tires for that matter.